Marijuana use may pose a greater risk to the developing brains of teenagers than alcohol consumption, according to a new study this week.

The analysis, published Wednesday in the American Journal of Psychiatry, found that cannabis had greater short and long-term consequences than alcohol on four key components of teens' memory. The finding greatly surprised researchers.

Children who aren’t physically scarred by gunfire but grow up surrounded by it also suffer the mental and emotional effects of that environment.Dr. Mikah Owen, a pediatrician who works with a high percentage of youths involved in the criminal justice and foster care systems, said the human brain develops in a way to prepare a child for the environment that it is in. If a child has a safe and fulfilling environment, the brain will respond one way.

Seeing these kids and adolescents — mostly black young men — being shot, hurt, disabled and dying takes a psychological toll on the communities they hail from. She said it would be an understatement to say there’s “insufficient” mental health support available to deal with the fallout.

The Reality of Navigating the Mental Health System as a Black WomanAllureVanessa Willhoughby

There are other reasons that members of the black community avoid seeking therapy. Reluctance to enlist the aid of a mental health professional can also include a lack of affordable and accessible health care and a lack of representation. According to the American Psychology Association, the demographics for active psychologists working within the United States from 2005 to 2013 were overwhelmingly white.

The APA found that in 2013, white people made up 83.6 percent of active psychologists. On the other hand, only 5.3 percent of psychologists were black/African-American, while racial/ethnic minority groups overall were 16.4 percent of the active workforce.

In Texas, the suicide rate among non-Hispanic whites has been steadily increasing during the past 16 years, from 13.4 deaths per 100,000 residents in 2000 to 19.2 deaths per 100,000 in 2016. Meanwhile, the rate has remained largely unchanged among Hispanics, with 6.7 suicides per 100,000 residents in 2016 — the same as the national rate.

As a group, Latinos face obstacles that can affect their health and well-being: They earn less than non-Hispanic whites, and are more likely to lack health insurance coverage. In 2017, 16.1 percent of Hispanics were uninsured compared with 6.3 percent of non-Hispanic whites, hampering access to mental health care and other treatment.

Mental illness affects thousands of kids and teens. But one group is hit especially hardThe TelegraphBeau Cabell

The number of American children in foster care has been rising for years, and Georgia is no exception. More than 19,000 Georgia youth have already spent time in state custody this year, up from just under 13,000 children in 2010. That’s an increase of almost 60 percent in less than a decade.

As the number of children in foster care continues to grow, more and more youth will feel the effects of a system that can drastically change the course of their lives. Research shows that children who spend time in foster custody suffer from mental health issues at higher rates, and the consequences can be long-lasting. Displaced children are more likely to have ADHD, anxiety, depression and multiple other mental illnesses, Turney and sociologist Christopher Wildeman reported in 2016.

More than 1 in 4 Utah teens are feeling sad enough to consider suicide, and about 8 percent report having tried at least once to take their own lives, according to a survey of students throughout the state.

Future surveys most likely will include questions about screen time and social media use, sexual orientation and gender identity, and social isolation to help state health officials better understand teens and what might lead them into depression.

The risk is highest among females, and the report indicates older students are more likely to experience feelings that might lead to suicide.